What does 'working with government' really mean?
IEFG and JustSystems asked education philanthropy to imagine a future in which governments take the lead on education progress.
“...my response is not theoretical, but an account of what happened when a government tried to lead, and asked philanthropy to take its rightful place.”
Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Former Minister of Education and Energy, Ghana
"... some [philanthropic actors] continue to fund parallel, duplicative initiatives that sit outside national priorities.”
Sara Ruto, Echidna Giving and former Chief Administrative Secretary of Education, Kenya
“... government ownership is not a ‘nice to have’. It is a design requirement.”
Abe Grindle, Co-Impact
“...government-led reform does not fail because governments do not care, but because systems are rarely prepared to carry reform at scale.”
Devang Vussonji, Elimu-Soko
"What we dispute, quietly, is whether working primarily through government will deliver the impact we are expected to produce."
Off-the-record composite perspective
“The architecture we have built was designed for emergencies that end. Most do not.”
Janhvi M. Kanoria, Education Above All Foundation and Faiza A. Hassan, Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies
“This is what government-led reform actually looks like in practice. It is slower, less visible, and less attributable to any single organisation. It is more likely to last.”
Agustin Porres, Varkey Foundation
“If we leave a community, will the work continue? If there is a change in government leadership, will the programmes continue? Or when we stop, does everything stop?”
Sol Marie Gonzalvo, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation
We often hear the same refrain: philanthropy should work more closely with government. Lasting education progress depends on capable, confident governments.
But how can philanthropy stand behind, not in front of, that leadership? What does 'working with government' really mean?
Contents
Editorial Summary
Laura Savage, IEFG
Does philanthropy get that African governments can lead?
Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh on the Ghanaian government asking philanthropy to step back
Duplication does not accelerate reform
Sara Ruto warns against philanthropy initiatives that may look impressive but leave little behind.
We must give up control
Abe Grindle argues philanthropy must embrace systems-thinking and stop clinging to sole attribution.
We need a new readiness diagnostic
Devang Vussonji explores the concept of system absorbtion; investing in government systems to carry reform at scale.
What we say in private
A controversial perspective based on off-the-record conversations, arguing that working through government will not deliver impact.
Long-term emergencies don't need short-term fixes
Janhvi M. Kanoria and Faiza A. Hassan argue that philanthropy is causing damage in protracted crises.
We can't reform a national system without government
Agustin Porres calls for philanthropy to back governments to lead systemic change.
We must have difficult conversations
Sol Marie Gonzalvo on philanthropy bridging the gap between local initiatives and national policy discussions.
Contributors
- Matthew Prempeh, Former Minister of Education, Ghana
- Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Former Minister - Education and Energy, Ghana
- Sara Ruto, Echidna Giving, former Chief Administrative Secretary of Education, Kenya
- Abe Grindle, Co-Impact
- Devang Vussonji, Elimu-Soko
- Janhvi M. Kanoria, Education Above All (EAA)
- Faiza A. Hassan, Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)
- Agustin Porres, Varkey Foundation
- Sol Marie Gonzalvo, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc
This report is part of the IEFG Scenarios series, structured thought experiments exploring hypothetical positive futures for education.
We co-edited this edition with JustSystems, who work to strengthen the support infrastructure for leaders in government and civil society and influence philanthropy to make public systems work better for people in the Global South.